Judd is weighing whether to jump into politics and challenge McConnell in Kentucky in 2014. She was in Washington for the inauguration and attended an event at EMILY's List, the group that backs pro-choice Democratic women running for governor or Congress. Judd even carpooled with Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who demonstrated she knows how to win in a red state after defeating the self-injurious Todd Akin.

In a statement, the former couple said they mutually agreed to end the marriage. Judd tweeted at Franchitti suggesting they plan to remain close -- making a reference to "family," an awfully politically correct tweet.

Given this development, there's a chance Judd won't want to jump into a messy political campaign. If she doesn't enter the race, it would be bad news for McConnell, whose campaign has publicly telegraphed that they're looking forward to running against the actress. In addition, there are other more-conservative Democratic candidates waiting in the wings, such as Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who would be better-positioned to give the vulnerable McConnell a serious challenge. The Bluegrass State is a difficult place for Democrats. Mitt Romney beat President Obama by 23 points there, and Rand Paul defeated the establishment-backed Republican in the 2010 primary before going on to win decisively in the fall.